


You Made Us Oh So Famus

by Birdie_Castellan



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: ADHD mention, Abuse, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, I don't know what I'm doing, I wrote this instead of doing chores, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, Oc has ADHD, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Swearing, blood mention, but my idea developed a mind of it's own, i casually swear a lot irl and it shows in my writing, i just wanted to write myself into The Umbrella Academy, number eight - Freeform, so much swearing, tags will be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-11-06 07:15:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17935256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdie_Castellan/pseuds/Birdie_Castellan
Summary: Mars almost couldn’t believe what her brother just told her.The old bastard finally kicked it.“Holy shit.” she breathed, astonished. “Holy shit.” Diego echoed. “Well, guess I better put some actual clothes on then” she said, laughing. “So much for  a lazy day in.”Mars hadn't been back to the academy in a long time. Number Eight had left the day she and her siblings turned 18, with no plans to ever return. But here she is. She'd finally gotten her shit together, gotten past her messed up childhood, and now it was sucking her back in.





	1. Have You Seen Yourself Today?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% sure where this is going yet, but I wrote this and liked it and I'm proud of it so I'm posting it.  
> I was listening to Dying in a Hot Tub by Palaye Royale the whole time I wrote this so if you want to listen to it while reading then go ahead.

Diego didn’t know what to expect from the apartment, but this wasn’t it. Sure there’s the wide variety of plant life almost overtaking the living area, seeming to almost reach out to him as he passed, and the eclectic mismatched furniture, an antique rocking chair, a black leather couch, a glass coffee table, a blue corduroy futon, and a flat screen tv mounted on the wall above the furnace. That wasn’t shocking, knowing this sibling like he did. 

No, what was surprising was that the walls all displayed hand painted murals, and each room had a different theme to it. Even more shocking was that he recognised the art. “Mars?” he called into the cosy space, not wanting to intrude any more than he already had. There was a sudden burst of noise as Diego heard Mars move through her room to get to the door. _Good to know that hasn’t changed_ he thought as a small body made its way into the living area. 

Mars was always small, even as children. He remembers how their siblings used to tease her about not being as tall as them, teased her for being too thin. It hadn’t taken more than a surprisingly solid punch or two for them to leave the girl be. But that didn’t stop Diego, or any of the others, from trying to protect Mars on missions. The adult standing before him looked very similar to the girl from his memories. She was still as short and skinny as she was back then. He’d forgotten just how pale she was, skin so sickly she looked more like the reanimated corpse of someone recently dead than like a grown woman with superpowers. 

Mars stared at her brother almost blankly as he stood before her. “The fuck are you doing here Diego?” she asked, her tone as expressive as her face as she ran a hand through the section of hair that she’d dyed a hot pink. This was one of the biggest differences between the sister he remembers from childhood and the woman standing before him. At one point she’d decided to cut her hair short, a pixie cut as she called it, and had the top/front section bleached from it’s natural dark brown and dyed all sorts of unnatural colours. She’d also gotten more piercings, a second in her left ear placed near the one on her lobe that belonged to a pair. She’d also gotten her tongue pierced about a year ago.

“I’m here to take you to the Academy for the funeral.” he said. At her confused gaze, he attempted to elaborate. “Mars, Dad’s dead. How do you not know, it’s been all over the news recently.” Her face dropped immediately, and he could see her emotions fighting for dominance as she processed this information. “Holy shit.” She said softly. “Holy shit.” Diego confirmed.

Mars almost couldn’t believe what her brother just told her. _The old bastard finally kicked it._ “Holy shit.” she breathed, astonished. “Holy shit.” Diego echoed. “Well, guess I better put some actual clothes on then” she said, laughing. “So much for a lazy day in.” 

As she rifled through dresser drawers, throwing clothes she deemed possibilities for today’s outfit, she noticed a shadow in the doorway “Diego.” She said in warning as she spun around to glare at him. He lifted an eyebrow at her. “Get out Knife Boy.” Mars marched up to her brother and pushed him into the hallway, but couldn’t help the smile spreading across her features as she heard muffled laughter behind her bedroom door. She just shook her head and picked through the heap of clothing to find somethin half decent to wear.

***

“Mars? Is that really you?” a familiarly soft voice called from behind. “No, Vanya I’m actually a body snatching alien that decided to take your sister for a test ride.” she said dryly before walking down the stairway to stand before her sibling. 

“Wait no, that’s not right, is it? I’m actually ‘a sweet girl with an affinity for plants almost as strong as her affinity to fly off the handle when mildly inconvenienced.’ Right?” Vanya’s head lowered at her sister’s words but Mars continued, though softer now, “I love you Vee, but you aren’t much of a saint yourself. You knew I’d read it, that we’d all read it, yet you said that anyway. You dragged us all through the dirt so that you could air out Dad’s dirty laundry, and you didn’t even ask us if it was alright.” She whispered, both voice and hands shaking in an attempt to hold back the anger. 

Mars had never needed height to be intimidating, all she had to do was open her mouth and allow the venomous words to pour off her sharp tongue. Sure, she had the power to make and manipulate plants, that’s why Reginald Hargreeves had been interested in her after all, but the Hargreeves siblings all knew that Mars’ true power only came out when you pushed too far. No one wanted to be on the bad side of Number Eight, lest they be cut down and left for dead. What Vanya wrote may have been harsh, but it wasn’t untrue. And that made it even worse.


	2. I Can See Behind Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a mess. This chapter is a mess. This story is a mess. But I'm enjoying myself so I'll keep writing until i run out of inspiration or until I run this fic into the ground, whichever comes first.  
> (I know the chapters are very short, I've never been good at writing long chapters, so please just bear with me on this)

Mars was sitting on her bed in the academy, staring at her hands - or, more accurately, staring at the ivy sprouts blooming from her palms - when she heard a floorboard in the hall creak. “Klaus I swear if- Oh. It’s you.” Mars spoke as she turned to find Luther crowding her doorway. “What are you doing here, Mars?” he inquired “Hello to you too, Asshole.” she replied. “Sorry, that was a bit rude of me,” Luther admitted “can I?” he asked, gesturing towards the bed. “Uh, sure.” Mars said warily, scooting over to make room for her brother’s large frame. “Thanks,” he said, sitting down next to her. 

“How was the moon?” Mars had a feeling that Luther hated everything about being on the moon, but - ever the Daddy’s boy - went because Reginald asked, and stayed because the prick told him it was important. “Ugh,” Luther groaned. _Yep, thought so._ “That bad, huh? And to think you survived there for four years.” Mars laughed as Luther groaned again, leaning his head on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company, before Luther’s previous remark decided to burrow under Mars’ skin. “What did you mean earlier, Lu Lu, when you wondered why I showed up?” she asked softly, curious but not quite willing to ruin their moment. Luther winced, whether at the nickname or the question itself, Mars wasn’t sure. “Well,” Luther began hesitantly, “I know you and Dad never really saw eye to eye, so it seemed odd to see you here. Especially since-” “Since Dad’s monocle is missing?” Mars finished for him. 

Luther’s head whipped up so fast she barely had time to register the movement before he was up and searching her room. “How did you know?” He asked. She rolled her eyes at him. He may be Number One but he’s never been the most keen. “Diego told me. He also said that you think that one your seven siblings murdered him” she said, eyeing him as he rifled carelessly through her belongings, not bothering to put anything back in order. “Which , judging by the way he said it, means that you think either I killed him, or Diego did.” She continued. At this revelation, Luther abandoned his search in order to stand ramrod straight in the middle of her childhood bedroom, having the gall to look sheepish about it. “If you were smarter, maybe you’d think we ganged up on him, planned it out together and everything.” She spoke coldly, ice injected into her every word. Luther winced again and ducked his head, finally exiting the room with nothing more than a mumbled apology. 

“Well then,” a voice outside her door practically sang, it’s owner popping into view moments after as Number Four practically pranced into her room. “Good riddance, am I right?” Klaus said with a laugh as he settled in beside Mars. “Dad or Luther?” She asked him, though she had a feeling she knew the answer already. “Both, honestly.” he said with a flippant wave of his hand. Mars laughed in spite of herself, shaking her head at her blissed out brother. “You are such an ass, Klaus.” She said before laughing again as Klaus pretended to bow.


	3. Looking For Ways Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a look into Number Eight's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was toying with doing a chapter fully set in the past from Mars' point of view, but when I opened the fic doc this is what jumped out instead... Oops? Oh well, I like it.  
> Hope you're all enjoying this so far!

It was always hard to reconcile that tiny, shy, pale girl who tripped over air and left sprouting plants in her wake wherever she went as the same woman sitting before him now with pink hair, a multitude of piercings, sporting a blue lipstick so dark it almost seemed black, and had an entire wardrobe of clothes that rival Klaus’ own. But he knew better than to think that the Mars he sees now isn’t a result, in one way or another, of the fucked up childhood they’d all endured.

He remembers an eight year old Mars begging Reginald to let her get her ears pierced. He also remembers the old bat refusing every time until the tiny girl had twined vines around his legs like rope, refusing to let him go until he agreed. It took him five days to comply, finally realising that Number Eight fully intended to just leave him there to rot otherwise. 

She was, by far, the most cruel out of all her siblings, but they didn’t see her that way. She had her moments of rage, but for the most part all they saw was a little sister that cried when she got a papercut and loved playing dress up with Allison and Klaus or listening to Vanya play violin, even sitting in a quiet corner with Ben and reading with him. 

But when she was mad, she was downright murderous. Mars would get upset at the others for fighting mostly, so it was a common sight to see Diego’s knives stop midair, ensnared by various plants over the years, or Luther caught on one of the walls, a few feet off the ground, plants binding him like duct tape. That’s why Mars was known to the public as Demeter. And when she left the house at 18, she made sure every blade of grass on the property was dead.

However, she always viewed her powers as her last defence, only to be used if her voice wasn’t being heard by her siblings and, occasionally, if her fists couldn’t make them listen. Klaus will never forget the time Mars punched him in the face to wake him from one of his nightmares. It was unconventional, sure, but it worked. 

But everything changed when Ben died.


	4. Me And My Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mars thinking back on her childhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started out in one direction but it decided it wanted to veer in a different direction, so here we are I guess. Sorry if it's a mess, but it's my second longest chapter so far (the first chapter was longer). This fic has had I mind of it's own from the moment I began writting it, and everytime I think I want it to go in one direction it decides to go in a different direction, so I'm sorry if it's an inconsistent mess, and I'm sorry I haven't actually gotton very far in it timeline-wise, but we'll see where this fic takes me.

Mars only got worse after Ben’s death. She’d been cold before, but now she was ice. She picked fights with her siblings more, and argued with them almost constantly. She screamed at them all for days before Reginald had had enough and locked her in her room for a month. She killed a few trees in the courtyard to spite him.

When she was finally allowed out, Mars apologized to each sibling in turn, though begrudgingly, and tried to pretend as if nothing ever happened. But she was still more prone to fighting back now than she had been before. That’s when Diego started calling her Spitfire. It was a ridiculous nickname, they all knew it but it made Mars laugh, so Diego continued to use it, after all he was the only one that could. The one time Luther called her that, Mars nearly bit his head off, sending the others into a fit of laughter. 

Allison and Mars had been close when they were younger, they’d spend hours braiding each others hair and talking about anything and everything, but grew apart pretty quickly as Allison and Luther became close. The two would still hang out occasionally, but often accompanied by Klaus or just because they wanted the other as a singing partner. 

Number Eight and Number Five never really got on well, not that that mattered much once Five disappeared, but that stop her from hoping he’d return one day.

Ben was the sibling she was closest to, next to Diego. They had the most similar powers out of the Hargreeves siblings, though Ben’s was decidedly more monstrous. Summoning demons from other dimensions was vastly different from manipulating plants, but they both had inhuman life forms appearing from their bodies, and they’d bonded over it very early on. When they were six, Mars gifted Ben an ivy plant as well as a drawing of Ben and Mars reading together. The ivy was because it reminded Mars of the tentacle creature Ben would occasionally summon, and the picture was the first of many to adorn the bedroom walls of the Hargreeves siblings.

As a child, Mars was always drawing, and often either gave the drawings to her family or left them scattered throughout the house for one of them to find. 

Grace adorned the fridge with the drawings.

Pogo put his in a journal.

Allison taped them to her ceiling.

Klaus shoved them in a box under his bed.

Luther put them around his room the way a normal kid would with posters.

Diego cut the images from the blank portion of paper and made a collage.

Five stuffed them in a drawer.

Vanya had plastered them to her door, but removed them when she moved out, taking them into adulthood with her.

Ben had covered his window with them.

And Reginald burned them.

Mars knew exactly what her father did with her artwork, but if anything, that just made her more determined than ever to draw whatever she could. She found a surprising irony in watching the man burn something after paying so much money for the supplies that went into it. The more paper he burned, the more paper he had to buy. 

Dad caught on eventually, and forbid Mars from drawing anything that wasn’t a plant. So of course Mars had sketchbooks full of plants, with notes written neatly, or as neatly as her looping messy scrawl would allow, around them documenting their properties and uses, as well as their natural habitat and how to keep them alive. But Mars also had sketchbooks filled with everything Reginald had forbade her from drawing. Number Eight had kept her contraband sketchbook under her bed, and had left them there when she left the academy behind in search of a normal life.

As she sat in her room with Klaus, she reached down between them and pulled one of her forbidden books out, searching for a blank page, and producing a pencil from the case on her dresser. Klaus was too lost in his thoughts, _or in his drugs_ , to pay attention to Mars’ pencil flying across the page, filling it with the image of him bowing in jest to her, mirth shining in his eyes, and looking for once in his life not like the junkie he’d become, but an image of him as his old self in his adult body. She was grateful for the fact that he hadn’t yet picked up of what she was doing or what she was drawing, because she had a feeling he’d either want it for himself, or try to sell it for drug money, but this was a drawing she wanted to keep for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated this so many times in less than 24 hours and I don't know how, but thank you so much for reading this far! I have no clue what I'm doing or where I'm going with this, so thank you for sticking with it. Any ideas for what I should do next? The fic will go where it wants to go, I'm just curious about what you guys think


	5. And I'll Just Disappear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mars thows a banana and screams. Everyone is frozen in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been a while. I apologize for my absence. I got caught up with work, and then the Jonas Brothers released a new single, Sucker, the same day my favourite band, Marianas Trench, released their new album Phantoms. (Chapter title is actually taken from the final song on the album, The Killing Kind), and I was listening to the album while writing this. I also had about half of it typed out before deciding I didn't like the direction I was going and deleted the whole thing and completely rewrote it.

When it happened, Mars was in the kitchen making herself a snack. She’d known about the commotion, but told her siblings to inspect it without her. So when her siblings came trailing in behind a very grumpy looking, very familiar thirteen year old boy, no one could really blame her for jumping up from where she was perched on the kitchen table and promptly throwing a banana at her brother. Five just blinked in surprise as the fruit ricocheted off his forehead and onto the floor. 

The remaining Hargreeves froze where they stood behind their brother, expressions ranging from horror to amusement. “Bet that’ll leave a mark.” Klaus claimed, instantly breaking the tension in the room with his amused snickering. Mars glared at Number Four as she sat back down on the edge of the table. Turning her attention back to Five, she smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders in apology. 

“So you either ended up like me, a full grown adult whose body never got the fucking memo, or you literally haven’t aged a day since you vanished.” She said, trying to piece together how her missing-and-presumed-dead brother looked as though he’d leapt out of that obscenely ridiculous portrait Reginald had insisted on putting in the living room. Five shrugged his shoulders before making his way to the fridge. “Bit of both, I guess.” he said before popping over to the cupboards. _Making a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, as always._ “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Mars asked. By now the others had made their way over to the table and plopped themselves down wherever they felt like, all staring at the teen making his sandwich. 

***

After Five had explained about his journey into the future and muttered about someone named Delores, and a bunch of other bullshit that only he understood. They all still had no Idea what had happened to their brother or how he returned suddenly, but they did know that he was apparently now a fifty eight year old man trapped in his thirteen year old body. And that Luther doesn’t understand what ‘future’ means.

Now they were all crowded around one another in the courtyard, most Hargreeves umbrella-clad, and a few already rain soaked. Waiting for Number One to release the ashes of their father so that they could all go back inside and warm up.

Mars decided on an outfit that would’ve had dear old Dad in a right tissy. She was wearing a pair of ripped skinny jeans over fishnet stockings, a pair of ankle boot style high heels covered in gold chains, and had on a low cut crop top under a leather jacket. _But he wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it, because it is all black after all,_ she reminded herself as she twirled her umbrella in her hands restlessly. She had been too zoned out to realise that Luther had already dumped their father on the ground and that Pogo was talking. But, of course, just as she focused back in on her surroundings, her brother cut the chimp off. “He was a monster.” Diego said flatly, staring at the ashen pile that was once Sir Reginald Hargreeves. Mars snorted, nodding slightly at the crass comment. 

She didn’t remember how it happened, but suddenly Luther and Diego were at each others throats. _Like always._ Mars would normally step in, try to break it up before anyone got badly injured, but not this time. Mars’ day was already way too fucked up and odd, and this was just the cherry on top. So she did the first thing that came to mind.

She screamed.

She screamed as loud as she could, watching each of her siblings freeze in place before suddenly all eyes were on her. “I’m done.” she said to no one in particular. “I’m done with this,” she added with a gesture towards the house they’d grown up in. “I’m done with this,” she gestured to Number One and Number Two, frozen mid-fight, staring at their little sister. “I’m done with it. All of it. I’m done with being a Hargreeves, and with all the bullshit that comes with it.” She finished, turning on her heels and walking towards the house. “Pogo call me a cab, would you?” she asked coldly without pausing or turning back.

She knew that once she was out of sight, chaos would ensue, but she didn’t care. She was done caring. She was done with being Mars Hargreeves, the sensitive, angry, fragile looking baby sister. She was done being Mars Hargreeves, adopted daughter of Sir Reginald Hargreeves. She was done being Mars Hargreeves, Demeter, seventh member of The Umbrella Academy. She was done being Number Eight. _If Luther and Diego want to kill each other, they can do just that, but don’t expect me to show up to the funeral._

Striding through the empty house, the only noise that could be heard was the rapid clicking of her heels as she walked swiftly and purposefully to her childhood bedroom to gather her belongings, past and present, so she could finally get out of Reginald’s house of horrors. _For good this time,_ she thought to herself as she walked past the wrought iron umbrella gates, ignoring the voice at the back of her head telling her that she’d be back soon. 

That this was just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't listened to Phantoms by Marianas Trench yet, go listen to it please. it's soo good and I need more people to freak out about it with lol but seriously it's orchestral Edgar Alan Poe but as headbanging party songs. It's madness set to music, and it's beautiful.  
> Just please listen to it and maybe tell me if you like it or not. I won't get mad if you don't like it, I promise. 
> 
> Okay, I'll get back to jamming out to Phantoms and writing the rest of this clusterfuck I call a story.
> 
> Thank you for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. I honestly didn't expect this to get any attention, and I really appreciate knowing that you guys are enjoying this just as much as I am.


	6. All Of These Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some Allison and Mars... But not in the way you think.  
> More of these two to come next chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just a gay emo with mental health issues and is nearly 20. What the hell am I doing here. It;s almost midnight and I need to sleep. Will I? probably not, but still.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

She doesn’t know why she’d expected anything different from her siblings. Why she thought that they could put aside the arguments, accusations, and petty feuds for once, for just one damn day. 

But Mars knew, despite trying to convince herself otherwise, that she cared about all her siblings and hated to see them hurt, especially by one another. She knew that Luther and Diego’s fighting wasn’t solely based on a difference of opinions, but a life-long power struggle caused by the numbers they were assigned in place of names by the man they called Dad.

She doesn’t know why she opened the apartment door. But she knew that the person knocking at such an ungodly hour was one of the Hargreeves. Her family, messed up though it may be. Mars watched her sister slowly take in the plant-infested apartment with the intricately detailed hand painted murals, and turned on the kettle. She knew that it would be a long night.

After Mars had stormed out of the courtyard, the remaining siblings turned to look at each other, bewildered by the outburst. They knew that Mars had as many bad memories tied up in this house as the rest of them, but none of them had thought through the effects it would have on the small woman until that moment. 

Allison remembers sneaking out of the house together when they were seventeen and watching the umbrella on Mars’ wrist get transformed into a sunflower tattoo. Allison remembers holding the pale girl in her arms as Mars cradled her bandaged wrists to her chest. Number Eight had a tad more control over her powers than the rest of her siblings, but never by much. But, unfortunately, Reginald had discovered how to make her more powerful while they were all still quite young. 

Mars had tripped over her own feet, as she typically did at that age, but unlike the other times, she couldn’t right herself in time. The small girl took a tumble and scraped her knobby little knees. Where blood met hardwood, an unknown plant rapidly bloomed, dark purple stalks shooting up, petals unfolding to reveal a flower unlike any other in existence. It dripped an odd liquid that sizzled as it too fell on the hardwood flooring, practically melting the wood on contact. 

They’d found out later on one of their Umbrella Academy missions, that it was a flesh eating plant. And that Reginald had been teaching Mars how to control it. They also knew that Mars couldn’t just make these plants appear the way she could all the others. That was the day they had all made a promise, to themselves and to each other. Protect Number Eight. 

A promise, Allison now realised, they’d broken long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this earlier today at my grandparents, then had to pack before I'd completed the chapter. so if it's off a little, that's why (and because I don't know what I'm doing lol)


	7. We Live How We Want To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison learning more about Mars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My family forgot to pay for Netflix last month and as a result we've been locked out of our account for the month, so I haven't had a chance to rewatch TUA a bajillion times over, and I have a very poor memory, so if I skip things of forget about things please bare with me, but also please let me know!
> 
> Sorry it's been a while with no updates, life got in the way of writing fanfic for a while there. I'll try to update as quickly as I can, but do not expect me to have a regualr update time or any sort of schedule, I just write a chapter, edit it a bit, then upload it, and go back to writing again for the most part. I wrote this chapter on my phone and edited it on my laptop.

Allison was shocked to hear about the life her baby sister had built for herself. Mars not only had a plant filled apartment with a landlord that allowed her to paint the walls, but she also taught art classes, started playing guitar, and even knit with her friends - and, occasionally, Klaus - on Thursdays.

They had been sitting in Mars' living room for a few hours now, drinking tea and chatting, when Allison realized just how little she knew about her siblings as adults. 

Luther got sent to the moon.

Diego became a vigilante.

Klaus she had no idea about, othe than drugs.

Vanya wrote that book, but she's in an orchestra too.

And Allison had, until now ,believed that Mars was probably in another country, organizing protests, or out partying somewhere.

Had Allison really been so caught up in her own world that she didn’t even think to check in with her siblings from time to time? She’d never even thought to call them before now. _But even if I did, would they have picked up?_

Either way, here she was, a soft little punk woman who always just wanted a normal life, and never stopped to care about what anyone thought of her. She even spends time with Klaus every now and again. Not only to knit, Mars told her, but she lets him crash on her futon sometimes too.

As they talked, Allison found her eyes drifting to Mars' left arm, to dark ink etched into pale skin. Allison remembers when they'd snuck out so Mars could get the Academy symbol they all, save for Vanya, bore covered. The sunflower looked beautiful, and almost prompted Allison to do the same, but they'd been out for too long already, and she didn't want to get into more trouble than they both already knew they would.

When Dad saw it at dinner the next day, he practically blew a gasket. Yelling at Mars right then and there, in front of everyone. Mars, ever the rebel child, had just stared back at the man. "You done?" She replied flippantly, "Because I know I am. Enjoy your dinner, Dad." She added, striding swiftly out of the room. Everyone sat in shocked silence for a moment before, one by one, they'd all gotten up and exited the room, leaving Hargreeves to his solitary meal.

Later that night, Allison had heard sobs coming from Diego's room as he comforted their sister, even complimenting her on the fresh ink. 

Now, however, there was more than just a sunflower. Her entire left arm was covered in tattoos. Most of them were plants, but there were a few that weren't, a few little images here and there that stuck out, Allison found herself focused on those.

Because there was a violin bow on her upper arm, a planchet near her elbow, a small moon next to her hand, a camera on her forearm, a book beside the sunflower, a knife hidden amoungst the leaves, and even what appeared to be a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich on her bicep. Amongst the different plants and the twisting vine that ran from her middle finger to her shoulder, she had her siblings with her at all times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to change Mars' superhero name to Demeter becaue I like greek mythology, I found it fitting, and because it sounds cooler. If I've missed it anywhere please tell me so I can fix it! Thank you for reading this, it means a lot to me.
> 
> Chapter title taken from a Palaye Royale song, as always.


	8. Maybe It's The Way She's Looking At Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus destroys a snow globe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> totally not uploading this while in class

Mars didn’t know why she’d let them rope her into this. It was ridiculous and the outfit she wore was stuffy and boring. _Five’s lucky I went through a phase of mixing business clothes with casual clothes in an attempt to make my own punk style,_ she thought bitterly, glancing at her outfit in the mirror once more. She had on a black pencil skirt, pantyhose, a pair of simple black heels, and a frilly low cut maroon blouse. The blouse didn’t have full length sleeves, but she wasn’t buying a new one, and they didn’t have any time to get her tattoos covered, so it would have to do. Glancing at her face she almost didn’t recognize the person staring back. Pink and brown hair up in what must be the world’s smallest ponytail, Mars was wearing the one lipstick shade she owned that wasn’t purple, blue, or black. She even had her reading glasses on. Sighing, she grabbed the outrageously large handbag Five insisted she brought. She swung it over her shoulder, grabbed her keys off the kitchen table, and walked out the door to go aide in another one of her siblings’ hair-brained schemes.

***

Klaus may be able to get his way when he wants to, but Five had forgotten how persuasive his sister could be. Where Klaus used the perceived insanity to his advantage, Mars tended to sweep your feet out from under you. The two of them together? Now that was a sight to behold.

Mars had quickly given up on talking the doctor into giving them the information Five sought after, and decided to just stare at the man opposite them. It wasn’t some version of an evil eye, it wasn’t even a glare. She just sat with her brothers, almost less than expressionless as she locked gazes with the man. Her eyes were what truly unnerved him, the intensity of them paired with the lack of a facial expression had him on so on edge that he had to actively look away from the small woman in order to carry out a coherent conversation with the rest of the family before him. The only time the boy’s 'mother' dropped the odd gaze was to watch Klaus smash a snow globe into his forehead. As though this was a cue, Mars turned back and grinned wickedly at the man before slamming her head into his desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's shorter than normal


	9. Just stay for the show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibling bonding and sharing secrets. And tattoos, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, I'm sorry. I've had so many idea floating around and didn't know what one I wanted to go with. I also wrote this chapter out, then deleted most of it and reworte it, so there's that too.  
> Hope you guys are still enjoying this fic, I'd love for you to tell me your favourite parts so far!

Mars’ body was riddled with scars, it had been for as long as she can remember. Discoloured skin that stuck out or caved in odd places all over her porcelain skin. The bumps and crevasses, both ghoulish and red, riddling her small frame from head to toe may have bothered others, but she took comfort in them. No matter how horrific or how trivial the stories behind them were, they were hers, they told the story of her life, and all that she’d been through.

Mars’ mind was covered in scars too, but those scars she hated. All the trauma she’d been through, seared into her brain. Everything Reginald had put her and her siblings through, all the times someone recognized her from the academy, all the names strangers shouted on the streets as she passed. All the times she’d had her heart broken because of who she was. She hated her powers. She hated her father. She hated that she cared about it all. She hated feeling broken. Hated feeling vulnerable. She hated everything that came with being a Hargreeves.

And yet.

Here she was, in yet another tattoo parlor. After all, tattoos are just scars that you choose. Or at least, that’s how Mars viewed them. But for once she wouldn't be on the receiving end of the needle. No, this time she was there for support. She was also there because this had been her idea to begin with. And because this was her way of apologising. 

She watched with amusement as her sister stared at the new mark on her left wrist. Mars knew it was ridiculous, but she also remembered the day she’d gotten her own mark inked into her skin. She remembered looking at her sister with tearful eyes, only to see her standing on the stairs drawing on herself with a sharpie. Mars knew what Vanya had drawn, but she didn’t tell anyone. Mars knew that Vanya didn’t need the tattoo itself, just what it represented. She’d just wanted to be included. So Mars was including her. 

Mars hated everything to do with their father’s precious academy, and as such was finally handing over her spot in the group to someone who actually wanted it. Mars already felt as though she’d left her position in the academy the day she’d snuck out with Allison and replaced the umbrella on her wrist with a brilliantly colourful sunflower. Now she was just making sure that the rightful owner of that position finally got the chance to fill those boots. Mars never wanted to be the seventh member of the Umbrella Academy, but Vanya always had, so why not let her have it?

 

“I’m sorry for blowing up at you yesterday, Vee. It was harsh and cruel of me to lash out at you like that.” Mars spoke, staring intently at her sneakers. “It’s fine Mars, I shouldn’t have expected anything else, honestly. I never thought of what that book could do to any of you guys.” Vanya responded as the pair walked back to the academy. 

“I get that you wanted to be heard. You wanted the public to know that Dad was an abusive asshole, but you never asked any of us for our consent. I know you couldn’t exactly ask Five because he was stuck in a different time, and it would be really awkward to ask Klaus if Ben is okay with it because it’s Klaus and he’s a bastard someti-” Mars cut herself off at the odd look her sister was giving her. 

“What?” Number Eight asked, looking around to be sure she hadn’t accidentally sprouted any flora where flora shouldn’t be (she hadn’t). “You mentioned talking to Ben, our deceased brother, like it was nothing.” Vanya breathed, still staring at her pink haired sibling. “Yeah, because it isn’t. Except when Klaus decides to be a sadistic prick and doesn’t relay Ben’s words properly sometimes, but it’s Klaus, he’s always like that.” Mars didn’t understand what part of this her sister wasn’t getting. Suddenly Vanya’s confused staring transformed into understanding and bewilderment. “Klaus can see Ben?!” The musician asked, hopeful. “Uh, yeah. How did you not know that? Who do you think he’s always talking to, himself?” Mars retorted, turning to continue walking. Vanya followed her younger sister’s lead, rolling her eyes affectionately.

“I forgot that Klaus didn’t tell you guys about seeing Ben.”

“Only you could forget something that big.”

“Rude.”

Vanya snickered as Mars swatted her arm playfully. Suddenly, Mars came to an abrupt stop, holding onto Vanya’s arm and halting her as well. “Hey, I never got the chance to mention it, but I’m doing a lot better than I was when I left the academy. I did therapy for a while, and I even spoke to some mental health specialists. Turns out I have ADHD.” Vanya didn’t know how to respond to her sister, so she stared at her shoes instead, trying to think of what to say. 

“You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted to say it. Klaus is the only other person that knows about it. I’m not ashamed of it or anything, it’s just something about me that the public doesn’t know about.” Mars continued. “I just wanted you to know, Vee.” She said before releasing her grip on Vanya’s arm, turning towards the gate in front of her and walking into the academy once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from You'll Be Fine by Palaye Royale.  
> please give me some feedback just so I know if you guys are still interested in this or not. I am writing this for me, but it's pretty discouraging to have such a loack of feedback. I haven't had any comments since chapter 2 I think, and I really want to know what you guys think. Even just saying "I like this fic" will make my day, honestly. Or you could just say hi if you want to, I'd love to chat with you.
> 
> Thanks for reading this, I really appreciate it!


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